DM on Serbia's role in regional cooperation

Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said on Tuesday that issues of defense and security are integral to regional cooperation. Speaking during a conference in Montenegro's seaside resort of Budva, he stressed that Serbia has a very significant role in that regard. DM on Serbia's role in regional cooperation At a meeting of the South East European Co-operation Process (SEECP) in Budva, Sutanovac warned that, “despite the evident improvement of the regional spirit and cooperation, we should not close our eyes to obvious problems.” “Besides the unresolved status of Kosovo-Metohija, the region is also burdened with issues of insufficiently developed economies and high unemployment rates,” Sutanovac pointed out. According to him, additional factors of concern include high level of corruption, organized crime, trafficking in people, narcotics, weapons and body parts and failures to resolve issues of return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes. “The unsatisfactory quality of life is what should concern us politicians the most, because we are here primarily for the benefit of citizens,” he stressed. The Serbian defense minister stressed that the entire region was associated with an unambiguous commitment to membership in the European Union and that “regional cooperation is a key segment of the EU's policy towards the Western Balkans, since the EU itself came into being through development of regional cooperation.” He stressed that Serbia had a constructive approach to all relevant issues, adding that this was being proven by the ongoing dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and by the fact that, in cooperation with the EU, Serbia supported the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the regional countries. Sutanovac said that “in 2011 we have results which clearly show that resolving disputes and problems through cooperation has no alternative.” “If we take the example of Serbia, only in terms of bilateral relations in the field of defense until and including 2010, we see that it has established contractual relations with all the countries in the region, except Albania, but this is something Serbia will work on in the foreseeable future,” he said. "We are especially proud of the fact that the EU welcomed the reform of the defense system, especially the professionalization of the Serbian Armed Forces, which is seen as an important step in the modernization and further strengthening of civilian democratic control of armed forces," said the minister. During the meeting, the Serbian defense minister had bilateral meetings with his colleagues from Montenegro, Boro Vucinic, from Turkey, Mehmet Gonul and Albania, Arben Imami. The main topic of the meeting of SEECP defense ministers was ways for the SEECP countries' to contribute to the field of security. The SEECP participating countries are Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey. The conference in Budva (Tanjug)

DM on Serbia's role in regional cooperation

At a meeting of the South East European Co-operation Process (SEECP) in Budva, Šutanovac warned that, “despite the evident improvement of the regional spirit and cooperation, we should not close our eyes to obvious problems.”

“Besides the unresolved status of Kosovo-Metohija, the region is also burdened with issues of insufficiently developed economies and high unemployment rates,” Šutanovac pointed out.

According to him, additional factors of concern include high level of corruption, organized crime, trafficking in people, narcotics, weapons and body parts and failures to resolve issues of return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes.

“The unsatisfactory quality of life is what should concern us politicians the most, because we are here primarily for the benefit of citizens,” he stressed.

The Serbian defense minister stressed that the entire region was associated with an unambiguous commitment to membership in the European Union and that “regional cooperation is a key segment of the EU's policy towards the Western Balkans, since the EU itself came into being through development of regional cooperation.”

He stressed that Serbia had a constructive approach to all relevant issues, adding that this was being proven by the ongoing dialogue between Belgrade and Priština and by the fact that, in cooperation with the EU, Serbia supported the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the regional countries.

Šutanovac said that “in 2011 we have results which clearly show that resolving disputes and problems through cooperation has no alternative.”

“If we take the example of Serbia, only in terms of bilateral relations in the field of defense until and including 2010, we see that it has established contractual relations with all the countries in the region, except Albania, but this is something Serbia will work on in the foreseeable future,” he said.

"We are especially proud of the fact that the EU welcomed the reform of the defense system, especially the professionalization of the Serbian Armed Forces, which is seen as an important step in the modernization and further strengthening of civilian democratic control of armed forces," said the minister.

During the meeting, the Serbian defense minister had bilateral meetings with his colleagues from Montenegro, Boro Vučinić, from Turkey, Mehmet Gonul and Albania, Arben Imami.

The main topic of the meeting of SEECP defense ministers was ways for the SEECP countries' to contribute to the field of security.

The SEECP participating countries are Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey.